The Ornament
by HidingLight
Summary: A small gift brings hope, but do Christmas wishes really come true? Tibbs slash, but rated K.


_A little Christmas plot!bunny that hopped my way this week while I was off work. It's been really great to write again! Not really smutty. The antidepressants are still preventing that, but I'm hopeful that this story is the beginning of a trend! I hope you like it!_

The Ornament

Gibbs sipped his coffee as he stared at the Christmas tree. He wasn't going to put one up, but then that small package came to him covered in stamps that changed his mind. It had been two weeks ago when he came home to the thing wedged into his mailbox, and as he opened it he cursed the carelessness in which it was done. This was a fragile keepsake, meant to be treasured, and it held enough power that it defrosted an old Grinch's heart and gave him reason to put up a Christmas tree.

He took a long drink of his coffee, his eyes peering over the top of the mug at the handmade token as he dwelled on the year. So much had happened, but his mind wouldn't let him think about much other than Tony's revelation and ultimate leaving. He sighed to himself as he came to terms with the fact that he missed him.

He had come to accept that now that Tony was a father there really wasn't any hope that one day they would magically cross all barriers and lines and rules and find themselves in each other's lives in a whole different kind of way. It was a painful acceptance, and it surprised him just how difficult it was to move beyond. That had been his fantasy and secret desire for as long as he had known Tony, and it had only grown over the years as the hot young cop turned into a dedicated and loyal second that always seemed to know how to lift his spirits. He regretted now that he had never let Tony know that. He regretted not smiling more often when Tony's antics made him want to, and he regretted not laughing more when Tony gave him the opportunity.

Tony had to go though, and Gibbs knew that. He fully supported it. He would've done the same thing. They were just alike in that way- always thirsty for answers to questions, and there were plenty that would've bloomed at the learning of Ziva's passing and the discovery of having a daughter.

A daughter. Gibbs' eyes drifted from the ornament to the one next to it. One that Kelly had made for him more than two decades earlier. It was a simple popsicle stick boat, and it was obvious that Shannon had helped. It was formed much too realistically for being made with popsicle sticks for even his creative little girl to have put together alone. It was painted brown with a big blue sail, and along the side of it, in black paint read their name, "Gibbs". It was precious to him, and he clung to the memory of her bringing it to him to hang on the tree the Christmas before he was deployed for Desert Storm. Her shy smile as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, tucking her head into his neck as he praised her creation. That familiar painful ache started in his chest that always consumed him when he thought about his little girl. His daughter.

Now Tony had a daughter of his own to think about and care about and love as deeply as Gibbs knew he would. Tali would be Tony's pride and joy just like Kelly had been his. It was a father's right and obligation, but more than that it was a father's privilege to bear witness to the pure bliss a daughter could bring.

Tony. He'd expected Tony to reach out to him for help as he traversed Israel and the surrounding areas to search for answers of Ziva's death and Tali's life. He wanted to know everything, and it was killing him that Tony hadn't shared the details of his findings. More than that, it was killing him that Tony was able to drop him out of his life so easily.

Not _too_ easily though, he thought to himself as he stared at the ornament on the tree; Tali's tiny handprint pressed into dough, green glitter with 2016 written below it, a small red bow glued to the bottom with a longer red ribbon looped through a small notch in the top to hang from the tree. It was about three inches in diameter, and it was the most beautiful thing he had been given in years. He smiled to himself as he thought of that gorgeous little girl that had Tony's ears and nose, Ziva's eyes and smile.

It had been hard watching Tony and Ziva's relationship develop over the years. It wasn't any surprise to find out that the relationship had culminated in them actually sleeping together in Israel, but it _was_ a surprise that Ziva would hide a daughter from Tony. There was a part of him that was jealous of Ziva's closeness with him, and then there was a part of him that still felt a fatherly love for her and he sighed and looked down into his cup of coffee as he felt the loss of her all over again.

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. He picked it up to see Abby calling, and he answered.

"What's up Abs?" he asked more gruffly than he intended.

"I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow for Christmas?" she said cheerfully despite the tone he had used on her.

"I thought you were going to New Orleans to see Luca?" he asked, trying to beg off. He really didn't feel like being around anyone.

"I'm going down for New Years. I'm seeing Kyle tomorrow and then helping the nuns at the soup kitchen, and I was wondering if you'd want to help at the kitchen with us."

Gibbs felt relief coming over him. He could get out of that easily enough. "Maybe another time, Abs. Thanks for thinking of me though. Have a good Christmas and tell Kyle I said hello."

"What are you going to do instead?" she asked. He sighed. He should've known he wasn't going to get away with it. There was suddenly a knock at the front door. He rolled his eyes.

"Gotta go, Abs. Someone's at the door." He hung up the phone without waiting for a response and then got up from the couch. He peered around the corner as he headed for the door and he couldn't believe his eyes. His heart stopped in his chest and his stomach flipped as a bright smile broke out across his face. He unlocked the door and yanked it open, his cheeks hurting from how brightly he was smiling.

"Merry Christmas, Gibbs!" Tony said quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping little girl in his arms.

"Merry Christmas, Tony! Get in here!" Gibbs said back just as quietly, stepping out of the way and reaching for the diaper bag over Tony's arm.

"Thanks," Tony whispered.

"Why don't you lay her on the couch?" Gibbs whispered back, following Tony into the living room.

Tony nodded and took Tali to the couch, laying her down and covering her up with the afghan there. She snuggled into it immediately and sighed heavily as she went back to sleep.

Gibbs laid his hand on Tony's shoulder as he stared down at the little girl for a moment. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Sure, thanks," Tony said and followed Gibbs into the kitchen. Gibbs put a fresh pot on and then turned to find Tony standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, his coat hanging over his arm.

"Make yourself at home," Gibbs said. "Can you stay a while?"

Tony hung his coat over the back of the dining room chair and then came back into the kitchen. "Yeah. I found out what I needed to know, and I'm coming home. Tali needs stability. Can't avoid the trips to Israel I'll probably have to take now and then, but I've taken care of everything she needs in order to claim her dual citizenship."

"Your dad know that you're back?"

"Not yet. He's not expecting me for another few weeks, but I…" Tony sighed and then tilted his head as he looked into Gibbs' eyes in a way that made the older man feel he was being studied. "I wanted to be home for Christmas."

Gibbs smiled and took the few steps to reach the other man, and pulled him in for an embrace which Tony returned tightly.

"I've missed you, Gibbs," Tony said softly after a moment. Gibbs hugged him tighter.

"Missed you, too, Tony."

The hug kept going for a long minute until it was no longer a hug but two men holding each other fiercely.

"I'm so glad I'm home," Tony whispered.

"Me, too. Don't leave again," Gibbs whispered back without thinking.

Tony shook his head. "I'm going to try not to."

Gibbs nodded. "Good."

"Abba!?" Tali shouted from the living room. Tony stepped out of the embrace with a smile and turned to attend to Tali. Gibbs poured two cups of coffee, putting sugar and milk into one for Tony, and then joined them in the living room. The younger man was sitting on the couch next to Tali with his hand rubbing her arm.

"This is my friend Gibbs," he told her with a smile as he looked up at Gibbs. "You probably don't remember him, but he remembers you."

"Hi," Gibbs said with a smile, sitting on the coffee table across from the two of them. He held out his hands palm up to show Tali that he didn't have anything in them. She looked at them and then back up at his face and leaned into Tony. "I loved the pretty ornament you made me for the Christmas tree," he said as he pointed to the ornament.

Tali tucked her head shyly into Tony's arm, but Tony looked up to where the ornament had earned a position next to one that was obviously made by Kelly. His eyes moved back to Gibbs', who gave him a crooked smile and a shrug. Tony's smile was brighter than ever though, and Gibbs thought he saw a sheen appear over Tony's green eyes.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "Are you two hungry?"

"I am! What about you, Princess?" Tony asked, his hand patting Tali's curls. "Ready to eat?"

Gibbs watched in fascination. He forgot how quickly they grow up. The last time he saw Tali she was still eating from jars and taking an occasional bottle. He looked at Tali now to find her looking up at Tony and then back into his arm as she hugged it close.

"I'm not sure what I have that she can eat," Gibbs said almost apologetically.

"No worries," Tony said. "Where did you sit her bag? It has some stuff in it."

Gibbs got up to grab the bag and return it to Tony. He pulled out a couple of small containers that had applesauce and something else that Gibbs couldn't see.

"Want me to order in some Chinese?" Gibbs asked Tony.

"That would be great!" Tony said.

"Beef lo mein and dumplings?"

"You remember!" The smile on Tony's face made him look years younger.

"Of course I do," Gibbs said with his own smile and got to his feet. "Spring rolls instead of egg rolls," he added.

Tony shook his head with a smile and Gibbs turned to walk into the kitchen to grab the menu. He didn't really need it, but he needed an excuse to get away from Tony. He felt like he had summoned him from a dream. One minute he was thinking about him and how much he missed him, and the next he was standing in his kitchen holding him like he was his long lost lover. It was a lot to take in and he needed a moment to contemplate it all.

He placed the order and then turned to lean against the counter as he stared through the house at the two sitting on the couch. He watched Tony get the applesauce into Tali, occasionally wiping her chin with a baby wipe. She was about four bites in from when he'd started watching when she suddenly said "No!" really loud and pushed Tony's hand away and she sunk lower into the couch. He watched Tony sit the applesauce down and run his hand through his hair.

A voice inside of Gibbs told him that he shouldn't get involved, but he felt drawn to the situation like a magnet. He slowly made his way into the living room and sat down on the coffee table again, unable to stay away from Tony.

"If you let her get away with telling you no now she's going to tell you no for the rest of her life."

"She doesn't usually do that," Tony said with a shrug. "She barely slept the entire flight here. I got her to sleep during the layover in Amsterdam, but that was only three hours. It was 0520 when we took off this morning. Been a long day."

"Want me to try?" Gibbs asked.

"Knock yourself out!" Tony said with a chuckle. Gibbs picked up the second container to see what was in it. There were baby carrots cut into fourths lengthwise so they would be skinnier and more appropriate for Tali.

"Tali?" Gibbs said, at first very sweetly. When she turned over on her stomach and whined, Gibbs wasn't having it. "Tali!" he barked, though much softer than he barked at his team. Tali turned her head to look at him with wary eyes. "You can either eat or go to sleep."

Tony looked at Gibbs. "I should warn you that she's got a much better grasp of Hebrew than she does English. We're working on it."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Tony, then looked back at Tali who was rubbing her eyes. "Try a couple of carrots for me before you go back to sleep," he said gently to her while helping her sit up. He handed her a carrot stick once she sat up and she started nibbling on it.

"There you go," Gibbs said with a smile. "Atta girl."

"I look at her sometimes and wish I was 20 months old again," Tony said with a wistful chuckle. "Then I could get away with temper tantrums when I felt fussy and tired and could have someone spoon feed me and hold me until I fell asleep. That last part especially."

"She's old enough now to be spoon feeding herself," Gibbs said as he raised an eyebrow at Tony, trying desperately not to imagine them holding each other as they slept.

"If she's in a booster seat at a table I let her, but she's really messy, so when we're someplace like my boss' couch I tend to prefer to do it myself," Tony answered with a chuckle then stopped himself. " _Former_ boss' couch." He shook his head. "That's really weird."

"Heh, tell me about it." Gibbs said with a sigh as he ran his hand down his face. He looked at Tali to see her dark brown eyes trained on him, the corner of a carrot stick sticking out of her mouth. "You want another one?" he said, his voice changing to the high pitched voice of an adult talking to a tiny child. Tali nodded and he handed her another thin stick.

The pieces of Tony's conversation suddenly came together in Gibbs' head, and he turned to Tony with questioning eyes. "You came straight here from the airport?" he asked.

Tony smiled shyly and turned his gaze to Tali. "Like I said, I wanted to be home for Christmas." He turned back to Gibbs and the older man could see that his cheeks were turning pink. "Besides, the utilities won't be on in my place yet. They've been turned off for months. I called yesterday to get them turned back on and they said that they won't be on until Monday or Tuesday."

"I should go to the store then!" Gibbs said, sitting the carrots down and getting to his feet. "We don't have much to eat in the house and everything will be closed tomorrow."

"Um.." Tony looked at Tali. "We could just get a hotel if that's going to inconvenience you."

"Like hell! It's Christmas, and like you said, you should be home for Christmas. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Here's money for the Chinese food. Try to get some sleep." Gibbs handed a couple of bills to Tony, then picked up his mug and downed it. He went to get his coat from the rack, made sure he had his keys, phone and wallet, and then headed out to his truck, leaving Tony and Tali behind. He had a sudden surge of hope that he hadn't had in months. Tony and Tali were spending the night! And not just any night, but Christmas Eve!

As he drove down the road he started to think about all of the things he should get at the store. He then realized that there were no presents under the tree for Tali. He looked at his watch to find it was almost 1600 hours. He had to move fast.

By time he pulled in the driveway at 1930 he was exhausted. He hated shopping on a good day, nonetheless Christmas Eve. He had grabbed the makings of a small Christmas dinner, some stuff to make a good breakfast, other groceries, and then hit the toy aisles to find presents. He had a giant teddy bear, some books, a doll, a mat made of large puzzle pieces, and some toy that popped up cartoon characters when you pushed buttons. He then thought about Tony, and picked up the hazelnut creamer he liked for his coffee and some of his favorite candies. It wasn't much, but he knew he couldn't get Tony anything he'd really want from the store he was in. It was going to have to do.

He took the groceries in through the back door to try to prevent from waking Tali in case she was asleep. He smiled as he looked into the other room to find both of his guests asleep on the couch. He quietly put the stuff away and then went back out to his truck to bring in the toys. He smiled wide as he realized that he was going to get to play Santa for the first time in years. There was a bit of an ache in his chest, but the thought of Tali finding her presents the next morning was enough to ease it. It just felt right, and that thought made him stop to think.

He'd believed that Tony becoming a father meant that there was no hope for them anymore, but what if… what if they became a family? It was a step beyond anything he'd ever imagined having with Tony. He wasn't sure if that was something he could handle, but in that moment, he looked down at the toys he was carrying and he felt like it was the most perfect situation in the world.

And in his mind it suddenly just _made sense._ What he had wanted from Tony had evolved over the years. It went from wanting just a steamy romp in the sack to a long term committed relationship. This was just another evolution. He could help Tony raise Tali. He knew he could. And he'd have the man that he was in love with to come home to every night. He was standing under the carport daydreaming when he suddenly realized it was snowing. The magical moment made him feel like anything was possible.

 _I may not have forever with them, but I'm going to have this Christmas, and I'm going to make sure it's a special one._ He snuck the toys inside and down into the basement. When he came back up Tony was standing in the living room stretching with his hair sticking up as he yawned. It was incredibly endearing and it took everything in Gibbs not to go in and kiss him awake.

"Heard you come in. I waited for you to eat. Sleep sounded more appealing and Tali needed to go down."

Gibbs saw the bag of food sitting on the dining room table and smiled. He hung his coat up in the living room and then came back to help Tony divvy out the food. "Want a beer?" he asked.

"Sounds great," Tony said, sitting down with his dumplings.

"You should probably tell your dad you're home," Gibbs said as he opened his container of cashew chicken.

"He's in Turks and Cacaos for the holidays. I'll tell him when he gets back."

A little voice in Gibbs' head tried to tell him that the only reason why Tony was at his house first was because his dad wasn't available. Gibbs pushed that voice aside. He'd never felt so hopeful about him and Tony as he did at that moment and he wasn't going to let any negative voice talk him out of what he was doing. _What am I doing?_ he asked himself.

"Thanks for having us, Gibbs," Tony said almost sheepishly.

"I'm really happy that you're here, Tony. Best Christmas present I could've asked for."

Gibbs looked up at Tony's green eyes as they stared back at him.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Tony said, his voice somewhat lower than before. There was a sudden energy in the air that crackled just faintly. It made the hairs on Gibbs' arms stand up, and he fought off a shiver as Tony stared at him.

"Of all of the things I've missed since I left, I thought I'd miss the job, but I was wrong. It was you. You were this large gaping hole in my life. I have purpose now, I have Tali, and I would die for Tali. Raising her replaced that drive that the job used to fill. But there was this big missing piece, and I realized right away that it was you. You'd taken up such a large role in my life, and suddenly you weren't there. You weren't there to go to for advice for when I was having problems with Tali, or when I was trying to figure out how to take care of her."

"You had to learn how to be a dad your own way," Gibbs said in almost a whisper, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Yeah, I did, but… I don't want to do this alone."

"You don't have to," Gibbs said softly.

"I don't want to do life alone anymore either, Gibbs."

"What are you saying, Tony?" Gibbs asked tentatively, his fork down and his entire attention on Tony.

"I'm saying that I missed you more than a boss, more than a friend. I hadn't realized the hole you'd been filling for so long was that of my soul mate."

 _Soul mate._ The words hit Gibbs in the stomach and heat bloomed through his entire body. He slowly reached across the table and took Tony's hand. Both men stared at their entwined fingers.

"I…" Gibbs started before clearing his throat and trying again. "I've wanted to hear you say that for years."

He looked up from their hands to Tony's face, and their eyes locked. Gibbs could see that Tony was breathing heavily, and then he realized that he was too.

"So? What do we do now?" Tony asked.

"We figure out how to be happy together," Gibbs said softly.

Tony smiled brightly at him. "Shouldn't be too hard."

Gibbs laughed softly. "You say that now. Just wait until I'm keeping you up all night after you've been up all day with Tali."

"Promises, promises," Tony said with a smirk.

Gibbs could feel himself blushing. "That's not what I meant, but I'm sure there will be nights like that too."

Tony got to his feet and stood next to Gibbs, reaching out to take his hands and pull him to his feet. Tony's hands ran up Gibbs' chest, then went around his shoulders. Gibbs' hands went to Tony's waist, enjoying every second of the ability to touch Tony openly.

"First things first," Tony whispered before he leaned forward. Gibbs pulled him closer to him as he leaned up and into the kiss. It was tentative, and gentle, and sparks _flew_ when Tony's tongue slid between his lips and eased its way into Gibbs' mouth. The temperature went up in the room as their hands moved against their own accord, grasping for each other as the kiss deepened and the passion that had been long denied came to the surface.

They finally pulled away from each other, gasping for breath. They leaned against each other, foreheads touching, and breathed until their blood wasn't pumping quite as hard through their bodies.

"I want to do this right," Tony said. "I don't want to move too fast and screw it up."

"We're not going to screw it up. I want this, you want this, and we'll make it work," Gibbs reassured.

Tony nodded. "I should probably eat something before I fall over," he said with a chuckle.

Gibbs smiled and kissed his cheek before he let him go. They sat back down and dug into their food. They were silent for a few minutes as they glanced back and forth at each other.

"You should probably tell Abby that you're in town," Gibbs said with a shrug. "She's going to want to see you and Tali."

"That depends," Tony said as he looked at Gibbs, taking in his every move.

"On what?" Gibbs asked, taking the bait.

"On whether or not you're okay with telling her about us."

Gibbs looked at Tony with a smile. "I like the sound of that. Us. It feels good."

Tony smiled brightly. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"

"And I'm fine with her knowing. Or anyone else for that matter." Gibbs said. The one thing that had always prevented him from going after Tony was their roles at work. Now that those roles weren't in place, he was surprised to find that he didn't care at all about who knew about them. He suddenly reached down and pinched his leg. He bit his inner cheek as he felt the pain.

"You okay?" Tony asked, his head tilted to the side with concern.

"Yeah. Just pinching myself. Can't believe this is happening."

"Me either," Tony said with a shy smile. "Two days ago I was sitting in the room at the embassy Orli set us up in, and I realized that there was no reason why I shouldn't just pack up and leave. We were just hanging out for a while since dad was going to be gone for the holidays, and I decided that as much as I wanted to see Dad, I wanted to see you more. I'd been thinking about it for weeks. I opened up my laptop and booked the flight right then and there. I didn't want to wait anymore."

Gibbs stopped eating and took a drink of his beer before reaching out and taking Tony's hand.

"I didn't want to go another day without telling you what you meant to me. Life is too short Jethro. I didn't know how you'd react. I thought you might be mad at me, or disgusted with me, but I had to let you know. And I somehow knew, I just _knew_ , that it was all going to be okay."

"I'm glad you're here. So damn happy right now…" Gibbs smiled and sighed. "What do you see happening here?"

Tony looked a little surprised. "I want us to be a family. The whole flight here, I was telling Tali about you, and I thought about how it would be so nice if you could… if you'd be willing… well to raise her with me. To be her other dad. To be…" Jethro smiled brighter as Tony tripped nervously over his words.

"Tony, there is nothing in the entire world that would make me happier than for us to be a family."

"Really?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Really."

"Huh. That simple, huh?"

"That simple."

"What next?" Tony asked, picking his fork up and spearing a dumpling.

"We finish eating and let you get some sleep."

Tony chuckled. "Sleep sounds great. This jetlag is going to kill me over the next few days. Seven hours is nothing to mess with. Not to mention I was so nervous and excited to see you that I couldn't sleep the night before the flight."

"I got some stuff to make breakfast in the morning and a Christmas dinner for us tomorrow night."

"Sounds wonderful," Tony said with a smile.

"I also picked up some presents for Tali for tomorrow morning. I hope you don't mind."

Tony looked at Gibbs with an amazed expression. "That's really thoughtful of you. Thank you."

"I figured you probably didn't have time to go shopping with the travel and all."

"I got her a few small things at the airport while she slept, but there wasn't much around for kids under two."

"Yeah. I remember this stage. She's too big for more baby toys, but not old enough for the toys with lots of little pieces."

Tony took a swig of his beer and looked hesitant before he opened his mouth to speak. "I have to admit, that was my biggest fear about this whole thing. I didn't know if you'd be willing to take on being a father again."

"If it was any other situation… probably not. But this is different. This feels… right, Tony."

Tony smiled and took Gibbs' hand. Gibbs' thumb immediately started stroking Tony's.

"Let's get some sleep."

"Where?" Tony asked, looking over his shoulder at Tali.

"We can put Tali in the guest bedroom and we can sleep in mine."

Tony nodded. "Just want to make sure she's close enough to hear. She's going to freak out when she wakes up in yet another different place."

"Maybe…" Gibbs looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath before looking back up at Tony. "Maybe it's the last place she should wake up for a long time."

Tony cocked an eyebrow at him.

"There's plenty of room here. Your place is a one bedroom. And the schools around here are better than the schools out by you."

"Are you asking us to move in, Jethro?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Think about it?"

Tony nodded. "Okay."

"You'll think about it?"

"Yeah. I think I want to get her used to us as a couple before we jump right in, but I can see it happening. Eventually?"

Gibbs smiled. "I support that."

"Good." Tony smiled back.

They packed up their leftovers and then Tony moved to pick up Tali from the couch.

"Can you do me a favor?" Tony asked.

"Sure," Gibbs said, moving closer to him.

"Can you get the keys to the rental car from my coat pocket and grab the blue suitcase from the trunk?"

"Only the one?"

"Yeah. That's got plenty in it for now."

"Go ahead and take her on up. I'll bring it."

"Thanks." Tony reached forward and planted a quick kiss on Gibbs' lips and they both practically bounced as they went about their tasks.

Gibbs brought the suitcase upstairs and found Tony standing in the doorway of the guest room watching Tali sleep on the bed. He moved behind him and slipped his arms around Tony's waist, laying his head on Tony's shoulder and kissed his neck. Tony closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Gibbs's, and breathed in the moment.

"The past six months have been surreal. This just tops it all off," Tony whispered softly.

"I promise that this is very real," Gibbs whispered back into his ear.

"I know," Tony said, turning his head slightly towards Gibbs'. "It's very real, and very perfect." They stood like that for a couple of minutes, holding each other and staring at the sleeping girl.

"She's gorgeous," Gibbs said with a smile.

"She's got a great personality, too!" Tony whispered proudly. "She's feisty, independent, and so loving. She's going to be a lot like her mother."

"That's not a bad thing at all," Gibbs said with a somewhat sadder smile at the thought.

"No, it's not," Tony agreed. "I should probably get her changed into something more comfortable."

Gibbs let him go, stroking his sides as he slid his arms from around him. When he stayed to help, Tony kept giving him an odd sort of glance that worried Gibbs a little. Tony woke Tali up and she very fussily allowed him to change her clothes. Gibbs took the clothes he took off of her and put them on the desk in the room. He'd already put the suitcase on the desk and opened it. He handed Tony the first nightgown he could pick out from the rolls of clothes, and Tony took it with a raised eyebrow. He got Tali dressed, tucked in, and kissed her forehead. A few words and a promise that he'd be right next door put her back to sleep and they snuck out of the room.

As they moved down the hallway, Gibbs pulled Tony towards him gently, wrapping his arms around him. "What's up?" he asked, wanting to clear the weird air that had formed between them.

Tony sighed. "I'm used to doing all of this by myself now. Not used to having someone helping me."

Gibbs nodded. "We'll find the balance."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll follow your cues, and we'll figure it out."

"You're just so sure about all of this. I thought I'd have to fight tooth and nail to get you to see how perfect this could be, and you're… diving right in. It feels way too easy."

"Oh, we'll have our problems. Trust me. You know I can be a complete bastard, but I'm… different with family. And I want this, Tony. I've wanted you for a long time, and things are different than I had ever imagined them being now that Tali is here, but it's a _good_ different. I'm ready for this. Let me help. Let me love you. Both of you."

Tony rested his forehead on Gibbs' shoulder and took a deep breath. "I want that. I want that so much."

"Then let it happen," Gibbs said, kissing the top of Tony's head.

"I promise that I'll try."

"And I promise to never stop trying. Let's get you in bed."

"I should probably grab a shower first. Gotta get my clothes out of the suitcase."

Gibbs let Tony go to get his stuff, and headed for his bedroom. It had been a while since he slept in there, but not too long. He fluffed the pillows and shook the comforter out. He moved a couple of boxes that he had stuck in there into the furthest corner, and then got into the dresser to get something out he could sleep in. When he heard the water come on for the shower he padded down to the basement to get the presents he'd gotten for Tali. He came upstairs and placed them under the tree. He was standing back to admire his handiwork when he felt arms come around him.

"Thank you," Tony whispered into his ear. "She's going to love it. Especially the bear. She will snuggle the stuffing out of it."

Gibbs smiled, feeling pride that he had done something right. "She's at that age. Soft and cozy things are the best things."

"Something's missing," Tony said, and then let go of Gibbs to move towards the tree. He searched around the base of it for a moment before he found what he was looking for. A moment later the lights on the tree were lit, shining their colors through the room. Gibbs joined him closer to the tree, taking his hand in his.

His other hand reached up and fingered the ornament that Tony had sent him. Tony rested his head on Gibbs' shoulder as they stared at the tree.

"I was staring at this ornament this morning, thinking about you and how much I missed you right before you showed up. I'd wished for you every time I saw it over the past couple of weeks. You showing up on my doorstep was like my Christmas miracle."

Tony smiled and moved to stand in front of Gibbs. He reached up and slid a hand behind his neck. "I've been thinking about coming home to you for weeks, since I sent that to you. I made a bunch of them, but only two turned out. I sent one to Dad, and decided that I'd send the other to you. I know you don't normally put a tree up, but I thought it would be a nice way to say Merry Christmas since I wasn't planning on being here with you."

"I wasn't going to put a tree up until I got the ornament in the mail. Then I had a reason. I went upstairs to the attic and pulled it down, along with all of the ornaments I haven't used in years. It was nice. Felt good. Christmasy."

"I'm touched. And I'm sure when you tell Tali that story one day, she's going to be touched too."

"You think?" Gibbs said with his trademark smirk.

"I know." Tony leaned in and kissed him. They stood by the tree kissing for a long time, just taking their time touching each other tenderly, slowly. It was a little bit of Christmas magic that was reserved just for them.

"Let's go to bed, Tony."

"Right behind you," Tony said as Gibbs took his hand and led him up the stairs.

The two of them climbed into bed and snuggled up. Tony put his head in the crook of Gibbs' shoulder, and Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tony. It was a moment worth savoring, but somehow they both fell asleep within minutes.

Tony slept dreamlessly, but Gibbs didn't. He had visions of Christmases past, with Shannon and Kelly, opening presents and reading T'was the Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace. His mind then took him to visions of Christmas future, where Tali was much older, and sat opening presents with him and Tony. And then he dreamed of a much, much more future Christmas. He was much older, and he sat on a different couch with a little girl and a little boy next to him as he read. Tony was in the armchair watching. As Gibbs went to turn the page, he was stopped by a grown female voice over by the Christmas tree.

"Was this _my_ hand?" she asked, looking over at her dad and abba.

"Your abba sent that to me the Christmas he brought you two home to me. I'd wished on it every day for you two to come home, and then on Christmas Eve, you were on my doorstep." Gibbs smiled up at his not-so-little girl.

"We never left again," Tony said, reaching his hand out for Tali to come take. She moved to sit down on the arm of the chair and wrapped her arm around Tony's shoulder, her hand taking his, and her head leaning against his head.

Gibbs woke up with a gasp. Tony was rolling out of bed and Tali's voice rang out from the next room. The clock next to the bed said 0730. Gibbs couldn't believe he'd slept so long. He got up and went into the guest room to find Tony changing Tali's diaper.

"Just wait, another few months and you'll start the chore of potty training," Gibbs said with a smirk.

"We started talking about it a little already. Isn't that right My Tali?" Tony reached down and tickled the fussing girl, winning her over and making her smile. He slid a new diaper under her and fastened it into place then looked for a place to discard the old one. Gibbs reached out for it.

"I got it," he said. He took it and went across the hall to drop it in the bathroom trashcan. He realized that there was a lot of stuff he was going to need to get around the house to make it child friendly. He popped back over to the bedroom to see Tony sitting on the bed playing peek-a-boo with Tali and smiled. "Are we ready to do Christmas presents?"

Tony gave Tali a surprised look. "Oh boy! Presents! You want to go see what Santa brought you?" he asked excitedly. Tali nodded, but still wouldn't look at Gibbs.

"Let's go!" Gibbs said more to Tali than Tony with a cheerful voice.

They all trailed downstairs to the living room, but Tali was too busy watching Gibbs at first to notice the presents. Tony finally sat her down in front of the tree by the bear. She turned and looked at it, towering over her in its enormity, and then gasped. She pointed to it and looked up at Tony.

"Abba! Bear! Bear!" Tony laughed and sat down on the floor. Gibbs followed suit and sat on the other side of Tali. Tony moved the bear closer and Tali grabbed it. It toppled on top of her and she giggled from below it. She rolled on the floor until the bear was next to her and her head laid across its leg.

Tony pulled his phone out of the pocket of his sweats and took a picture of Tali and the bear. Gibbs was behind them smiling happily. When Tony looked at the photo, he smiled and turned his phone so that Gibbs could see it. Gibbs was surprised to see himself look so happy. He felt that happy, so he wasn't sure why it was such a surprise to him, but it was just one more thing that confirmed that this was reality, not a dream.

"Want to see what else you got?" Tony asked Tali. She didn't answer, but stood up and fell forward on the bear so that they landed together in a pile of laughter and fluff. Gibbs helped her up and then picked up the bear, pretending that the bear was walking. Tali looked at him leerily at first, then giggled. He took one of the bear's arms in each of his hands, approached Tali, and then wrapped her in a bear hug. She giggled and hugged the bear back. Gibbs' arms came around her and hugged both her and the bear and she kept laughing. It was the first time he'd held her since that day in the office when she was presented to Tony.

Tony saw the look on Gibbs' face and smiled. He wanted Gibbs to be Tali's other dad. He wanted them to be a family. He'd been a little worried about what that relationship would look like, and how it would evolve, but to see them so happy in that brief moment put all of Tony's worries to rest.

They went through the rest of Tali's gifts one by one. She didn't know what to do with the mat puzzle, loved the thing where the cartoon characters popped up at her, liked the doll, but was fascinated her the most (other than the bear of course) were the books. She picked them up and looked at each one with a squeal and took two of them in her hands to show Tony. Tony acted all excited with her, and told her what each of the books were called. He promised her they could read them soon, and then looked up at Gibbs.

"I read to her every night almost. She loves it. I'm pretty sure she doesn't understand half of what I'm saying, but she gets excited when I read to her. It's one of the first things I did right, actually."

"That's great, Tony. I'm glad I got some books. I almost didn't. Didn't know if that was too soon for her or not."

"It's perfect. I haven't read any of these to her yet."

"Why don't you read one to her while I go cook breakfast?" Gibbs asked.

"Great idea! Pick one out, Tali."

Gibbs smiled and got to his feet. He bent down and gave Tony a kiss that was returned gently. They pulled back a moment to look into each other's eyes and smiled. Tony looked at Tali to find that she was looking at the two of them with an interested look on her face. He laughed. "I don't think Tali knows what to think about our kiss," he called after Gibbs who laughed too.

"She'll get used to it!"

"Yes, you will, won't you?" Tony said as he led Tali to the couch with a book and the bear.

Much later that day Tony left Tali napping on the couch to sit in the dining room and call Abby. He knew it would make her day to hear that he was back in town. Gibbs was cooking the ham and sides in the kitchen and heard his voice as he made the call. He also heard Abby's squeal from the other end of the phone. He chuckled to himself and slid the green bean casserole into the oven. He poured him and Tony each a cup of coffee and came to sit at the table with him. Tony smiled his thanks and took the mug.

"I'm at Gibbs'… Uhuh… Uhhh… let me ask." Tony looked up at his partner. "Abby wants to know if she can stop by."

"Of course," Gibbs said before taking a drink of his coffee.

"Sure, Abs. When can we expect you? Okay. Gibbs just put something in the oven. The ham just came out. You're welcome to eat with us. Great! See you soon!" He hung up and Gibbs reached out for his hand, a smile on his face.

"You ready for this?"

"Ready?! I'm excited!" Tony said quietly so he didn't wake Tali, but his face looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Abby is going to be so happy for us! You know she will. I want to get on the rooftop and shout it out to all of Maryland that I finally have you. Telling Abby is pretty much just as good."

Gibbs chuckled and looked at their joined hands. He looked back up at Tony. "I really do love you."

Tony's expression changed to one of tender shock. "Wow." He took a deep breath. "I really love you, too."

"I can tell," Gibbs said with a smile. He leaned in, and Tony leaned in, and they kissed each other deeply over the corner of the table. They were still kissing when Tali came in and leaned against Tony.

"Hey, Sleepy Head!" Tony teased. He pulled back and then brought Tali up to sit in his lap. She leaned against him but eyed Gibbs carefully.

"I think someone is a little possessive of her abba," Gibbs said with a snicker.

"Huh?" Tony asked, looking down at Tali and seeing the expression on her face. He chuckled and then kissed Tali on the head. "Are you getting jealous of papa Gibbsy?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, but his smile was from ear to ear at the reference. He liked the idea of being Tali's papa.

"I think someone needs changed," Tony said as he kissed the top of her curly head. "Be back in a minute." He got up to leave and bent down to kiss Gibbs quickly. Gibbs smiled and ran his hand over Tali's curls. He went to the kitchen to make sure everything was ready other than the green bean casserole and rolls, and started moving stuff to the dining room table. Ten minutes later Abby was letting herself in through the front door as Tony was coming down the stairs with Tali.

"Tony!" Abby squealed, followed by an equally exuberant, "Tali!" Gibbs chuckled and put the pan of mashed potatoes on the table. He headed into the living room to see Tony and Tali heading for the couch with Abby on their heels. He was glad to see that Tali was just as shy with Abby as she was with him. It made him feel a little better for some reason.

"Gibbs!" Abby said, jumping up to give him a hug. "Merry Christmas!" Gibbs kissed her on top of the head and wished her a Merry Christmas in return.

"Can I take your coat, Abs?" he asked.

"Sure! I was so excited I didn't even think to take it off. Here you go!"

Gibbs laughed and went to hang her coat on the rack in the hallway. He came back to Tony trying to get Tali to interact with Abby.

"You want to show Abby the bear papa Gibbsy got you?" he said with a smile. Gibbs noticed the slight pink to Tony's cheeks as he subtly dropped the nickname on Abby.

"Papa Gibbsy?" she said. "That's cute!" Tony looked up at Gibbs who shook his head and tried not to laugh as the point went right over Abby's head.

"That's a big bear for such a little Tali!" Abby said. Tali climbed off of Tony's lap and tackled the bear. Gibbs went to sit down in the armchair near the end of the couch with the bear and girl.

"We're going to have to be careful. Looks like we might have a football player on our hands with the way she keeps tackling that bear," Gibbs said. Tony snickered. Gibbs noticed that Abby looked a little intrigued if not confused by that statement, but she shrugged it off.

They talked for a while about how Abby's brunch with Kyle and his family was that morning, and then about Tony's flight. Abby wanted to hear all about Tony's adventure, but he wasn't ready to share yet. He looked to Gibbs for help avoiding the topic, and Gibbs knew what he had to do.

"Gotta check on the green bean casserole." He stood up, bent over to Tony, and they shared a quick kiss before he turned around with a smile to head for the kitchen.

"OH. MY. GOD!" Abby squealed. Tali was startled by the exclamation and climbed into Tony's lap for protection. "Did I really just see you two kiss?!"

Tony smiled. Gibbs watched from the kitchen as Abby animatedly got her confirmation. He peeked at the casserole for good measure, but knew it still had a few minutes left, then returned to the living room.

"I told you he came home," he said as he sat back down in his chair.

"When did this happen?!" Abby asked excitedly.

"Last night," Tony said, turning his gaze to Gibbs who gazed back.

"This is kind of out of nowhere! I mean, I knew Tony was into guys, but I had no idea you were Gibbs! And what, Tony leaves for six months, comes back, and you're magically together?"

"Something like that," Gibbs said with a smirk.

"Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but it's also a little…" Abby tried searching for the word. Tony and Gibbs exchanged raised eyebrows. "Well it's a little scary. What's going to happen when you come back to work, Tony?"

"Uhhh…" Tony looked at Abby with a really confused expression. "I'm not coming back to work, Abby."

"Come on, Tony!" Abby said, punching his arm. "You're back! You know you're not going to be able to stay away."

"Yeah, actually, I am. I left because I wanted to focus on Tali. Now that I have her in my life the risk of the job isn't worth it for me. I need to stay safe to take care of her and keep her safe. The job already took her mother away from her. I'm not going to let it take me, too."

Abby looked crestfallen. "Gibbs! You're not helping!"

Gibbs shook his head. "That's because I'm on his side, Abs. He left for a reason. That reason is in his lap. I support him 100%."

The front door swung open and Ellie and Tim came into the house. "Gibbs?" Tim called hesitantly.

"McGee!" Tony said with a bright smile. When Ellie came around the bend Tony smiled even brighter. "Bishop!"

"Tony!" They both exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Abby told us," Tim said, coming into the room. "I can't stay long, but I thought I'd come by while I had the chance."

"I, on the other hand, can stay for a while. That is, if you'll have me?" Ellie said with a hopeful look at Gibbs.

"Sure! We're about to have dinner."

"We're having a very serious conversation here guys!" Abby interrupted.

"Abby," Tony said very calmly but seriously. "This isn't up for debate. I'm not coming back to work. I'm a father now, and I have a little girl to take care of, and I can't do that with the crazy hours it takes being an agent, and it's not safe for her with all of the crazy bad guys that come after us. And some of the crazier good guys."

"But if you and Gibbs are in a relationship, then Gibbs is just going to attract the crazies. At least if you're an agent again you can protect her! And what happens if he gets hurt or killed on the job? Then she's lost another parent."

Gibbs cringed. That's not something he was ready to tackle yet. He knew it was a reality, but he wasn't going to let it stand in the way of their relationship, and he really hoped that Tony didn't let it either.

"Uh… are we missing something?" Ellie asked.

Tony smiled up at her. "Gibbs and I are seeing each other."

"Whoa…" Tim said. Ellie was looking at Tim and then back and forth between Gibbs and Tony.

"That's… wow! I never would've expected that!" she said. "I'm really happy for you though!"

"Yeah! I'm completely surprised, but really happy for you, too," Tim said, though he looked confused.

"Thanks, guys!" Tony said, turning his attention to Tali and away from Abby.

"Tony!"

"ABBY!" Tony yelled, startling everyone and making Tali whimper. "Stop. I'm not going back to work." Tali started crying, and Gibbs reflexively reached down and took her from Tony. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, and he bounced with her as she calmed down.

The room was silent other than Tali's crying. Gibbs was in another world though. He was holding the little girl that was going to slowly become his daughter as his relationship with Tony progressed. It was a breathtaking moment as he realized it. His mind went back to all of the times he had held Kelly as a baby. He wouldn't let anything happen to this little girl. He would do what he had to do. He knew then that he would be retiring much sooner than he expected. He had a family now, and he wanted to spend more time with them. Like Tony, he wanted to keep them safe. He couldn't do that as an agent. They would all be safer if he got out of the business. Maybe he'd go into boat building or woodworking. Something he could safely do with his hands.

He took Tali into the kitchen as Tony calmly talked to the rest of the group. "Abba needs to talk to his friends for a minute, but it's okay. I've got you. Are you hungry?" he asked. "It's almost dinner time." Gibbs poured a little milk into a mug and helped Tali take a drink. She let out a shaky breath and then laid her head on his shoulder. Gibbs kissed the top of her head and smiled. He had to take the green bean casserole out of the oven though, and he couldn't do that with Tali in his arms.

He took her into the dining room and sat her in a chair. She sat there looking at all the food and tried to climb up on the chair so she could stick her fingers in the potatoes. Gibbs came back in with the casserole just in time to catch her.

"Uh Uh Uh!" he said. Tali took her hand out of the pot but looked up at Gibbs with a smile. "You can have some in a minute. Sit down on your seat."

"Do you need some help?" Ellie asked, coming into the room.

"Sure! Want to grab the stack of plates from the counter and help set the table?"

"I'd be glad to!"

Tony joined them with a sad smile and Gibbs heard the front door open. "Merry Christmas, Boss!" Tim shouted as he headed out.

"Did Abby leave, too?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. I think she needs some time to think." Tony reached for a kiss and Gibbs obliged. He moved to walk away, but Gibbs put his arms around his waist.

"Hey. She'll come around."

"Yeah, she will. It's my choice, my life, and she's either going to learn to deal with it, or she's going to find herself alone."

"She'll come around," Gibbs repeated and then kissed Tony's forehead.

"You two are so sweet!" Ellie said with a giggle. "I never thought of this as a possibility, but wow! So sweet!"

Tony chuckled. "Thanks, Bishop."

"Let's eat!" Gibbs said, sitting down at a place at the table. The rest did the same and soon they were all munching on their feast. Gibbs noticed that Tony was right about Tali being messy. There were mashed potatoes everywhere, but the little girl looked happy. He was going to have to get a booster seat for her. At one point during the meal he went and fetched the thick outdated phone books he kept under the end table in the living room for her to sit on so that she would be able to reach her plate. It helped some, but not much.

Soon after dinner Ellie was excusing herself and saying thank you for the feast. She had plans the following weekend with her family and would be leaving town, but she had been having a rather lonely Christmas day. It made Gibbs feel good to be able to give her that comfort and camaraderie.

Leftovers were packed away and Tali was asleep in the guest bedroom when Gibbs built a fire in the fire place. He joined Tony on the couch and pulled him so that he laid on top of him, his head on Gibbs' chest.

"Jetleg still got you?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yeah," Tony confirmed, nuzzling into Gibbs. The older man pulled the afghan over them and settled in to sleep. He'd had dreams of making love to Tony that night, but he was exhausted too and knew that that was one dream that would have to wait. So many other dreams had come true in the past couple of days, and he knew they'd get there eventually. He wasn't in any hurry.

Tony's soft snores made Gibbs smile. He kissed the top of Tony's head and whispered, "I love you." He heard Tony whisper it back from his dozy sleep and he sighed happily. He stared up at the Christmas tree, his eyes falling on Tali's ornament and thought back over the past couple of days. They were perfect. His Christmas wish came true. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was the round ornament with a tiny handprint on it that said 2016.


End file.
